Thermalpas field deployment (Taiwan) · Heavy Industry
Coal conveyors: ten years on one sensor in dust and vibration
Bearing thermal-anomaly detection on coal conveyors at power plants and steel mills.
- 10 yrsSame sensor, still in service
- Heavy dustField environment
- IP68Sealed, vibration-rated
The problem
A coal conveyor at a steel mill carries thousands of tons of coal a day through clouds of dust, with vibration shaking everything and ambient temperatures that bake the bearings. Conventional thermocouples last about six months before they degrade and the readings drift. When a bearing finally seizes, the conveyor stops, the steelmaking line backs up, and the cost is $500K to $2M per shutdown.
What was installed
Thermalpas M-TYPE sensors were bonded directly to each bearing housing. IP68 sealing keeps the dust out, and the adhesive and cable are rated for vibration. The monitoring software learned each bearing's normal heat curve during steady operation and watched its slope — a slow upward drift is usually the first sign of failure.
The outcome
The same Thermalpas sensor unit has operated for ten years on the same coal conveyor, with no failures and no replacements. It serves as the lifetime baseline for Thermalpas on rotating machinery in both power and heavy industry.
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